


When the Tables Have Turned

by Kiki242



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:55:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24396898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiki242/pseuds/Kiki242
Summary: It was always Nadine that had to endure seeing Chloe with other people, now the tables have turned. Sort of. Its Chloe's turn to be the jealous one as Nadine races home to help an ex of hers escape Shoreline.
Relationships: Chloe Frazer/Nadine Ross
Comments: 10
Kudos: 85





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by seeing all of the fics with Nadine being jealous. I do eat those stories up but I thought it would be nice to change it up. I hope you all enjoy.

If there was one word to describe Nadine Ross, it was practical. She did everything with a leveled head and rationality, every move calculated. However, the searing jealousy rumbling in her belly was anything but practical. Chloe Frazer owed her nothing, being that they were simply treasure hunting partners and great friends. Two years after retrieving the husk, their bond had grown stronger, which consisted of the two occasionally visiting each other when they did not have a job. Nadine would take trips to London and Chloe going to Johannesburg.

At the current moment, Nadine was on one of those trips to London, being dragged by Chloe to a dingy bar for a few drinks. It had started off nice enough, they caught up on the on goings in their lives, seeing as they had been apart for three months, coming off a job in Japan. Then, Chloe eyes shifted over Nadine’s shoulder and zeroed in on a lovely woman sitting at the bar. Nadine had to admit to herself that she was beautiful, and it was with that, Chloe had her eyes set on her next conquest. She gave Nadine a knowing smile and a wink and went over to do something that Nadine should have been used to by now, go home with someone else.

Despite her feelings, Nadine would occasionally look back and watch the ordeal. From her point of view, Chloe’s flirting was working. They had probably been talking for about 15 minutes when Chloe’s eyes flickered over to Nadine. The mercenary managed to give her a tight smile that did not quite reach her eyes. It was meant to be a sign of encouragement, Nadine hoped that it was convincing enough.

She could not really see the woman’s face from this angle, but she had the perfect view of Chloe’s and from the gleam in her eye, she was about to seal the deal. Just as soon as she had the thought, Chloe offered the woman a hand and helped her from her seat and headed out the door. Nadine downed her the rest of her scotch without a thought, hoping it would quell the bile rising in her throat. She exhaled a defeated sigh slowly, knowing that she would have to get far too hammered than what she was comfortable with to numb out her emotions.

Her phone chirped, alerting her to a text. It was lying face up on the table and Nadine gave it a quick glance, seeing that it was a text from Chloe, letting her know that she was heading to the stranger’s place, rather than her own. That let her know that it was safe to head back to Chloe’s flat without the fear of walking into something that would surely make her lose her dinner. That was always the case with Chloe, whenever she had her one-night stands when around Nadine, she always had the decency to not have Nadine endure the sights and sounds of them. With that settled, Nadine decided to head back. She really wasn’t one to wallow over alcohol anyway. There was only one thing that would help her tonight.

Chloe’s apartment was mere walking distance from the bar. Hands jammed into the pockets of her leather jacket and emotions in turmoil, Nadine practically powered walk there, unphased by the cold night air. She reached it in no time and allowed herself in (her and Chloe exchanged keys to each other’s places). Chloe’s apartment reflected her personality, as well as her adventures. It was rather spacious, consisting of two bedrooms. Chloe had decorated with some of things that she found around the world, as well as things that reflected her Indian heritage. There was also quite a bit of red, which had amused Nadine when she first visited.

Nadine made her way to the guest bedroom and changed into something more comfortable for her workout. Exercise had also proven to be a great distraction for anything she didn’t want to deal with or when she was upset. She had no doubt that Chloe’s flings and hookups had led to her putting on more muscle over the past two years. After she put on her tank and shorts, she did a quick stretch and threw herself into a strenuous workout. It included many _many_ pushups, with just as many sit-ups and squats, all done with great intensity. By the time she was finished, she worked up a good sweat and left her muscles burning. She’d take that over the sharp ache that had presided in her heart before.

Afterwards, she took a hot shower, washing away her sweat and the remnants of her ill feelings. She felt much better and decided to call it a night. She climbed into the queen-sized bed, only for sleep to evade her. She bumped the back of her head against her pillow irritably and stared up at the ceiling after failing to go to sleep for the past 20 minutes. Giving up on sleep, she allowed her mind to wonder, and of course her thoughts drifted to her partner.

Nadine always strived to be an honest person, especially with herself, and so, when her feelings for Chloe changed (admittedly as early as the India job) she didn’t try to lie to herself. She loved her, deeply and emphatically. Sometimes, it scared her how much Chloe meant to her. It made her act foolishly, always ready and willing to risk herself and own wellbeing if it meant that Chole would come out of the ordeal unscathed. It was so unlike her Shoreline self, the old version of her who never took risks. But now she would gladly take them all for Chloe’s sake and to partake on whatever adventure this partnership took them on.

* * *

It was noon by the time Chloe arrived home the next day. She found Nadine in the kitchen making lunch. The mercenary turned away from the stove to give her a smile that seemed forced, “goeie middag, Frazer. Hungry?”

Chloe smiled at her softly, causing Nadine’s own to deepen into a true smile. “You always know exactly what I need. I am starved,” she stated with a sigh, as she plopped down into a chair at the kitchen’s island.

Nadine gave a small nod before turning back to the stove. She donned a black tank top, which showed off her arms and back. Chloe took the time to drink in the sight shamelessly. She watched the muscles play in Nadine’s arm and back as she moved the food in the pan around. She would be eternally thankful to whoever invented tank tops. As if feeling her eyes on her, Nadine spared her a quick glance with a curious eyebrow quipped, to which Chloe gave an innocent smile. Nadine turned back around with her brow furrowed in suspicion but decided to not call Chloe out on her staring.

“You look like shit, Frazer,” she said after some time of silence. Chloe took no offense to the comment and chuckled.

“Well, your meal will have me looking as beautiful as you,” she replied lowly. She didn’t have to see Nadine’s face to know that she rolled her eyes.

She watched as Nadine finished cooking and fixed them both plates. Nadine turned to her and gave Chloe one, while opting to eat while standing opposite of her. Chloe wasted no time in digging in, she was hungry, and Nadine was a great cook, despite her nonchalance about scarfing down MREs in the field. The first bite sent an explosion of taste through her mouth, but she hardly gave her time to savor it as another forkful followed, followed by another and another.

Nadine couldn’t help but to smile with a shake of the head at Chloe’s enthusiasm. She started eating herself but at a much slower pace and in a more graceful manner. As she chewed on a bite, Nadine leaned on the counter with her elbows, looking thoughtful, “you know,” she began before swallowing, “you are supposed to be cooking for me, since as I am your guest.”

Chloe scoffed, “You already know how much of a horrible cook I am, china. I’m doing you a favor for not having you endure my cooking.”

The mercenary chuckled lowly in her throat, “I remember when you almost burned down my house.”

Chloe thickly swallowed her mouthful of food, “yep, would have been a shame too, you have a lovely home.” Nadine’s home was indeed beautiful, far more grand than Chloe would have expected from her partner. In everything that Nadine did, there was simplicity about her. But her house was huge and beautifully decorated, reflecting the benefits of coming from a family than ran its own private military. “Next go around, I’m paying you the visit, I miss that jacuzzi.”

Nadine brought her eyes to her plate, having to look away from Chloe as the image of her clad in swimwear invaded her mind. What made it worse was that Chloe’s choice of swimwear _always_ had to be a bikini. Every time, it took a good deal of restraint from Nadine to not just gawk at her like some hormonal teenager. She prided herself as being a woman with self-control, but just as with everything else, Chloe had ways of unraveling that.

Chloe eyed her curiously, watching as Nadine fell weirdly silent. She could see the gears turning in her head but couldn’t quite determine what it could be she was thinking. Bringing up her jacuzzi was hardly something to extensively mull over. She bent her head slightly, trying to catch Nadine’s gaze, “you with me, love?” she asked softly.

Brown eyes snapped up to gray ones, widen slightly with surprise. They blinked several times as Nadine got rid of the mental image of the blue bikini that Chloe had donned last time, “I’m right here.”

Chloe looked at her skeptically but shrugged, it was something minor and not worth forcing Nadine to speak on it, trying to get Nadine to open up could be like pulling teeth. Chloe attributed that to Nadine’s upbringing and prior career choice, being the hard ass soldier and all. “Anyway,” Chloe began, changing the conversation, “I’m still looking for our next job, I’m getting whispers here and there but nothing concrete”.

Nadine nodded thoughtfully, “there should be no rush. The past year we’ve been going hard at it, and its not like either of us are strapped for cash.”

That earned her a cocky smile and Nadine could damn near guess the next words out of Chloe’s mouth, “that’s what happens when you’re the greatest treasure hunting team in the world.” Nadine looked at her admonishingly but didn’t refute it. Their excursions provided to be successful and good pay days. Taking the straight and narrow path of returning the treasure they found to the people they belonged to, rather than selling them to some collector proved to be fulfilling in the spiritual sense as well as the monetary.

Then, their lunch was interrupted as Nadine’s phone ranged. She turned around to retrieve it from near the stove. Even before she picked it up, Chloe could see how Nadine’s posture changed as she read the caller ID. Her body stiffened considerably, in a way that made an unsettling feeling settle in Chloe’s stomach. It worsened when Nadine picked the phone up and immediately headed down the hallway to the guestroom. Chloe sat on her barstool shocked, taken aback by Nadine acting so secretive. There was nothing that they kept from the other, the women knew each other inside and out.

She didn’t follow after Nadine, respecting her privacy. She did stare down the dark hallway after her for the few minutes she was gone. When she did come back to the kitchen, her face was grime. “What’s wrong, china?” Chloe asked worriedly. She hoped it hadn’t anything to do with Nadine’s parents. If something happened to them, she knew it would tear Nadine apart.

Nadine’s eyes were stormy as they met Chloe’s, “an old friend of mine has been targeted by Shoreline. She needs my help. I’m sorry, Chloe but I will have to cut this visit short.” With that, Nadine briskly turned around and headed back to her room to pack. Of course, Chloe was hot on her heels and followed her into the room.

“And you think I’m gonna let you go alone? I’m coming with you, Nadine,” she declared.

Nadine turned from the bag she was packing and looked at her with hardened eyes, “No, Frazer. This isn’t your fight.”

Chloe scoffed, “like hell it is, any fight involving you is my fight.”

“No,” Nadine replied harshly, her tone leaving little room for argument.

Chloe paid no attention to it, her temper flaring, “I. Am. Going.”

Nadine’s eyed widened slightly, seemingly in anger as she looked to argue further but refuted against it. She huffed and returned to packing. “Fine,” she spat out, “you better get ready now. I am taking the next flight to Johannesburg.”

Chloe immediately relaxed and flashed her a bright smile that momentarily made the tension and angst weighing on Nadine lift. She then dashed from the room to her own bedroom. “You don’t mind if I grab a quick shower, do you?” She yelled from her room.

A part of Nadine wanted to tell her no and there is also the urge to just sneak out of the apartment when Chloe was in the shower. But Nadine didn’t have the heart for either. Instead, she allowed Chloe to have her shower and helped her pack once she was out, making things move faster. Next thing either of them knew, they were on the flight to Nadine’s home.

* * *

On the plane, Nadine’s nervous and tense energy was palpable. Thankfully, the plane was not packed, giving them some space and privacy. Chloe decided to keep her chatter to bare minimum, which was unusual for her. Nadine appreciated that Chloe was trying to give her some sort of peace and quiet. It allowed for her to start planning and accessing, determining what would be the best course of action once the plane landed. She had a lot of time, the flight being nearly 11 hours. However, that was also a lot of time for her mind to wander and settle on her anxiety and anger.

No matter what, it seemed as though she could never escape Shoreline. There was always the urge and desire to get the company back, her family’s namesake, her father’s livelihood. All washed away because she failed to be the leader she needed to be. Despite moving on and being happy with what she was now, she would never get over the shame of that failure. And here Shoreline was, threatening someone who once was dear and close to her……. all the while bringing along someone else that could be used as a target against her. _“No.”_ Nadine thought fiercely. She wouldn’t allow it to happen. Not on her watch, would Shoreline get to Chloe.

She shot a side glance to the woman in question, seeing her buried in a book. Despite her inner turmoil, a small smile made its way on her face as she read the cover. It was a book on learning Afrikaans. As if feeling her eyes on her, Chloe peered over the book, looking almost haughty, “I’m working on it,” she said, sounding rather defensive, “I am tired of your family speaking it around me and not having a bloody clue about what is going on.”

Nadine’s smile disappeared quickly. Goodness, she hadn’t thought about that. Her family loved Chloe and they immediately keyed on the fact that Nadine loved Chloe. They were constantly making comments about them, saying such awful and embarrassing things. Her _own_ parents took part in that betrayal. She remembered when her father, the man she grew up admiring, idolizing, and in many ways aspired to be like, asked if they were _partners._ She had wanted to dig herself a hole right in the middle of her parents’ kitchen.

Feeling the embarrassment of the memory, she turned away and back to the notebook in her lap, where she’d been writing down ideas and strategies. It wasn’t as intricate or detailed as she would have liked. But the phone call had been short and simple and to the point, just enough to deliver the message. She sighed in frustration. She wasn’t going to get any further in her planning and decided to put her notebook away and get some sleep. She failed to do so, her mind restless. Considering both of her career choices, she was no stranger to long flights. But this one seemed to drag on endlessly, agitating her further.

Chloe turned to her, looking sheepish. Nadine eyed her curiously, “what is it, Frazer?”

After clearing her throat, Chloe replied, “We’ve got a lot of time to kill and I was hoping that you would help me with my Afrikaans.”

Nadine gave her a look of appraisal, to which Chloe gave her most charming smile, destroying any chance of Nadine telling her no. So, for the next five hours, Nadine helped Chloe learn simple words and phrases, and understand some grammar of her language. It did help the time fly by. It was also a reminder of how patient Nadine was. She was not quick to get aggravated or annoyed with Chloe when she didn’t understand something. It showed that she had a good knack for teaching and made Chloe believe that it was something that made Nadine a great trainer during her Shoreline days.

* * *

When they landed, all of Nadine’s nerves returned with a vengeance. She walked briskly through the airport, despite the weight of her luggage. Chloe struggled to keep up with her. Shooting a glance back, Nadine caught wind of Chloe’s exasperated expression and slowed her pace. Chloe was then finally able to fall in line with her stride for stride. “Sorry,” the ex merc murmured softly.

“It’s fine, china,” Chloe replied in the same soft tone. Nadine looked to once more and could see the comforting look in Chloe’s eyes. It warmed her heart immensely. Chloe was always going to be there for her, ready and willing to give Nadine whatever she needed.

They neared the exit of the airport, when Chloe noticed a change in Nadine’s demeanor, the hardened look on her face softened completely as her eyes focused on someone walking straight towards them. Chloe couldn’t help her surprise to see that it was a blonde white woman, nor could she help her jealousy when said woman immediately threw her arms around Nadine’s neck and Nadine wrapped hers around the woman’s waist in a tight embrace.

She stood dumbfounded, watching the interaction between the two women. “Thank you so much for coming, Nadine. I didn’t want to trouble you, but I was so scared, and I knew that I could count on you,” she heard the mysterious woman tell Nadine, almost in a whisper. It was a jolt, hearing the woman’s American accent. It made the situation even more bizarre.

“It’s fine, Hannah. I would never leave you to deal with this on your own,” she heard Nadine reply in a tone that didn’t help the green-eyed monster taking residence in the pit of her stomach. Her jaw twitched, which thankfully went unnoticed as the hold on her bag tightened. The women parted and that was when finally, Hannah, as Chloe now knew her to be, noticed that Chloe was standing there. The blonde gave her a look of appraisal before looking at Nadine curiously.

Recognition lit up in Nadine’s eyes, as though she just realized that she should introduce the two women. She did just that, introducing Hannah as an old friend, though the peculiar Hannah gave at that left Chloe with some doubt, and introduced Chloe as her business partner and friend. They shook hands, and the woman seemed nice enough. Her face was rather bruised, looking like she just came back from a treasure hunt herself.

But Chloe had the common sense to know that it probably derived from a run-in with Shoreline and couldn’t help but wonder how the she managed to get away. She didn’t look like the military type. She didn’t have the right aura for it, nor walk with the type of confidence. She seemed like the average woman and it boggled Chloe’s mind even more as to how she got tangled up in this whole business with Shoreline and Nadine. There was one explanation, and Chloe hoped against hope that it wasn’t the case (it is the case).


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy and please leave comments telling me what you think and how I can improve.

Hannah was their ride from the airport, and rather than take them to Nadine’s house, she took them to one of Nadine’s safehouses that was in the countryside of Johannesburg. It was a long drive, filled with chatter as Hannah filled them in on how Shoreline attacked her. It occurred in her own apartment, in the dead of the night. She’d been woken up to the sound of her dog barking loudly, alerted to an intruder in her bedroom. Next thing she knew, just as she was sitting up in bed, a punch connected to her face.

It hadn’t knocked her out, but it left her even more disoriented, but she fought through it and tried to get away. A scuffle infused that consisted of her being thrown around as she fought back as much as she could. Thanks to her dog, a pitbull, she was able to get away. Her dog bit the man, clad in uniform that adorned the Shoreline logo. As she ran out the door, she her a gun shot. Her dog Riley was dead. Hearing the ordeal made Chloe feel guilty. Her jealousy was not what was important, helping this poor scared woman was. She needed to put her feelings on the back burner.

Her inner turmoil kept her quiet during the duration of the drive. She didn’t know what to say, there really were no words that could be offered to help Hannah deal with her horrific experience. When they reached the safehouse, Chloe took in how simplistic and small it was. A white one-story house, that showed its age in rusting and shingles falling off. It consisted of two bedrooms and one bath, a small kitchen that was connected to the living room and a surprisingly large shed that sat out in the back yard. The house was hardly furnished, as all there was in the living room was, placed in front of an old TV and a dinner table with three chairs.

Sometime after arriving at the house, they found themselves sitting around the small round table, drinking coffee (thanks to a Keurig, which seemed to be the most modern thing in the entire house). “This was the first place I thought of, I figured that no one outside of your most trusted people would know about this place,” Hannah explained, sitting across from the duo.

“Good choice,” Nadine complimented softly with a small smile. Her eyes then shifted over to her right, landing on Chloe, “I haven’t told you about this place, have I”

Chloe shook her head, “Afraid not, love.”

Nadine nodded as she looked around wistfully, “I somewhat forgot about this place, I haven’t had a need for it in a long time. Getting out of the mercenary business does take the target off your back,” her gaze shifted to Hannah, eyes remorseful, “or at least I thought it did,” she finished sadly. “I am really sorry about all of this. I had no idea that they would target you.”

The blonde gave a shake of the head, “this isn’t your fault. This is on them.”

Chloe interjected then, with a clearing of the throat, drawing the eyes of the other two women, “if you don’t mind me asking, how do you two know each other? I don’t think that Americans are a typical commodity for South Africa”. Chloe watched as Nadine and Hannah shared knowing smiles, looking at each other rather fondly. She took a larger than advised sip of her coffee, burning her tongue, and searing her throat as she vehemently tried to ignore that look.

“Ten years ago, Shoreline was hired for a rescue mission to save yours truly,” the blonde began. Chloe’s eyebrows rose, this was certainly going to be a story.

“Hannah comes from a political family back in the states, her mother being a governor,” Nadine explained. Chloe looked back at Hannah rather shocked at that tidbit of information.

“A governor for Texas and let’s just say my mother’s politics are to be considered eccentric for some people. I’m quite surprised she was even elected. She pissed of A LOT of rednecks” Hannah added. “I was fresh out of med school when they grabbed me outside of my apartment and they attempted to sell me into human trafficking, which is how I ended up in South Africa.”

This story was turning out to be even more wild than Chloe thought it would be and her heart broke for Hannah even more. _No_ woman would want to ever become a victim of human trafficking, and for her personally, it was probably one of her biggest fears. “My God, that must have been horrible.”

The blonde gave her a pained smile, “that doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

The atmosphere was now tense, leaving Chloe feeling as though she overstepped a line, perhaps coming off as patronizing. Just as she opened her mouth to apologize, Hannah gave a wave of her hand, “don’t worry about it, it’s just a time I don’t like remembering.”

That only made Chloe feel worse. She outwardly grimaced, which didn’t go unnoticed. Nadine patted her shoulder, “you have to forgive Frazer, she’s not good with people.”

Nadine's words helped lighten the mood immediately, even getting a laugh put of Hannah. “Welcome to the club,” she said in jest, helping Chloe feel better.

But the conversation quickly turned serious again as Hannah returned to her story. “Anyway, to make a long story short, the CIA got into contact with Shoreline and asked for assistance. They were able to get my location and Nadine was the captain of that mission. She ripped through that place like a woman possessed".

Which was understandable to Chloe and something she could have predicted. Nadine had always had a disdain for such operations and there was a certain element that Texas and South Africa shared that more than likely came into play.

Nadine smirked and took a sip of her coffee but said nothing. She looked to be rather proud of herself. And she was. That had been her first mission heading her own team. It was time to truly show her father what she was capable of and she did him proud, for the most part.

“She also took a bullet for me,” Nadine heard Hannah say, taking her away from her thoughts. She didn’t have to turn to Chloe to know that she was grinning at her.

“That’s my china, always trying to save the girl,” Chloe teased, but she was rather proud. Nadine was so brave, even if it involved her doing stupid things, it was so endearing.

Nadine turned to her, looking sheepish and gave a shrug “it was a rescue mission,” she explained. “Saving Hannah was the priority, even if it meant my life. And she returned the favor by treating the wound.”

Chloe looked down into her cup contemplatively, seeing the pieces of their story come together. Nadine playing the shining knight in armor and Hannah helping her with a rather severe injury, there was bound to be some type of bond between them. For herself personally, Nadine's protective nature was one of the first things that had her swooning over her. She could only imagine the immediate attachment that Hannah felt towards Nadine considering the situation. “I feel like your acquaintance with each other is deeper than that,” she murmured into her cup.

Nadine shifted uncomfortably in her seat, “well,” she began hesitantly. She couldn’t finish her sentence, something in her not wanting to delve into the nature of her former relationship with Hannah. Too bad Hannah didn’t have the same reservations.

“We did date while I was a part of Shoreline,” she said bluntly. Nadine’s stomach dropped as she tried to school her face to not look alarmed. Instead, she took a big gulp of her coffee, ignoring the burn.

Chloe looked up from her cup, surprised. “I thought you found stuff like that to be unprofessional, Nadine,” she said accusingly, her envious feelings getting the better of her.

Throat still burning, Nadine’s explanation came out rather hoarse, “she wasn’t under my command, nor did we work so closely together to make things awkward. She was stationed at base permanently, working on injured soldiers that were sent home.”

“I see,” Chloe replied weirdly. Things became even worse when Nadine noted the way Hannah’s eyes darted between her and Chloe, and Nadine could see the conclusion she came to.

Eager to escape the uncomfortable situation, she excused herself from the table and hightailed it to the shed outside. That left Chloe and Hannah alone. Hannah gave her a smile, one that Chloe tried to return but it was rather sour. “Soooooo,” Hannah began, “how long have you two been together?”

Chloe’s reaction to the assumption was rather tame, she laughed softly, “we aren’t together, just business partners and friends.”

Hannah’s eyebrows rose in surprise, “really?”

“Why’s that so hard to believe?” Chloe shot back.

“You just seem…..” Hannah trailed off at Chloe’s challenging look. “Jealous,” she finished after a beat.

Angler flared in Chloe at being called out so bluntly. She _was_ jealous, burning with it and failing to conceal it despite her best efforts. Still, she schooled her features into a cool smile, “have no idea what you’re talking about, mate.”

It was obvious that Hannah was fighting off a smile, lips piercing together. think I will go check on Nadine,” she said, excusing herself from the table. She took her coffee cup with her, unlike Nadine who’s own was completely forgotten.

The shed was a supply room of sorts. This place was meant to be a last resort hiding spot The walls were lined with guns of all kinds, there were also crates filled with tactical,9 such as bullet proof vests, combat knives, high grade flashlights, and other things. Nadine stood in the middle of the shed as she let out a sigh, giving a look around. Her earlier tension now had been released and she felt herself in her element.

Her and Chloe shared the trait of not being great with people and the earlier situation Nadine had found herself in displayed that. Chloe had been acting rather bizarrely since Hannah picked them up and Nadine had no answer for it. She could see a storm brewing at the table and made a quick exit for herself. Here, surrounded by weapons she could disassemble and reassemble in her sleep, she was at peace. She just hoped that whatever the hell that was earlier would not happen again. She did not know how she would deal with that.

The shed door opened behind her, taking her from her thoughts. She turned around to see Hannah enter with a cup in her hand. Nadine offered her an awkward smile, though her heartbeat skyrocketed. She knew a hard conversation was coming up, one that Chloe’s presence had deferred earlier. Hannah gave her a peculiar expression as she came into the shed and stood a few feet from her, “you gave up on Shoreline,” she said softly, “I never thought I would see the day.”

There it was, alarm bells went off in Nadine’s head, feeling the instinct to take flight once more but she knew that Hannah wouldn’t allow it, and at the very least Nadine owed her this. It was her fault after all that Hannah was being targeted. “Ja,” she answered quietly, “I found a new line of work.”

“For her?” Hannah questioned, in that same soft tone but now there was more emotion in her voice.

Nadine swallowed thickly and looked away, “Hannah, it wasn’t like that. Shoreline was taken from me. It- I…… things got complicated. I didn’t walk away from it just for Chloe,” Nadine struggled to explain.

“But you couldn’t walk away for me, _with_ me,” Hannah replied, eyes and voice hardening.

The soldier sighed sadly as she met Hannah’s eyes once more. This conversation had taken place several times in the past, Nadine’s unrelenting loyalty to her father’s company and legacy. It caused her to let go of her first love. Hannah had joined Shoreline due to being so taken with Nadine and in part misconstruing what the company really was about. Not all their work was as honorable as the mission to save Hannah was, they had delved and worked with some awful people. It was something that came along with being a mercenary.

That reality became apparent to Hannah rather soon, but she stayed for as long as she could stomach, and her love for Nadine made her stomach strong. After two years, it all became too much and she left, begging Nadine to do the same but she had refused. Hannah put her morals before Nadine, as Nadine did with her and the company. It was hard but she could no longer be with someone who did the things Nadine did, who was tied to a company that helped dictators and played along in destabilizing smaller nations.

It had killed them both inside to let each other go and Nadine damn near gave in. Looking at Hannah now, Nadine could feel the remnants of that heartbreak and wondered at what could have been. “I had an obligation to uphold and my father’s expectations to live up to,” Nadine replied quietly. Those things still tugged at her, especially considering the amount of disappointment in her father’s eyes when she told him how she lost Shoreline.

Hannah smiled almost sadly, “had you been doing what you are now back then……” she trailed off, but the meaning shown in her eyes as they bore into Nadine’s. There was a time that Nadine would have killed to get that look from Hannah again. Now, it was only going to make things messy. She didn’t want to have to hurt her again, but her heart belonged to someone else now.

Eventually, Hannah looked away, focusing on her cup. Unbeknownst to Nadine, she was trying to quell the old feelings that were trying to reignite from the moment she learned of Nadine becoming a treasure hunter. She never truly got over the woman in front of her, always carrying a torch for her. And having her so close again, all within the name of protecting her once more was too much. Especially knowing that it would be for naught, going by the way Nadine looked at her partner. This whole ordeal was going to be an emotional rollercoaster for all involved.

**Author's Note:**

> WEll, there it is. I hoped you all have enjoyed and please leave a review, telling me what you think and what I can do to improve.


End file.
